One of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal is an exquisite beauty of Indian architecture during the Mughal reign built on the river bank of Yamuna. The natural divinity and beauty of the main arena allow you to experience real facts about Taj Mahal. It was built under the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for her beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. One of the real facts about Mumtaz Mahal is that she was the niece of Empress Nur Jahan and belonged to Persia. The history of Taj Mahal has a very special mention of the love story of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Their eternal love was one of the reasons why was Taj Mahal built.
This architectural bizarre has been built with world-class ivory-white marble known for its hue’s reflection set accordingly to moonlight or sunlight. The premises include the main building, garden, mosque, and gateway.
History Of Taj Mahal – Symbol Of Love
Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in remembrance of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The monument is situated in Agra as the eternal proof of the love story of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. It was built by the ablest architects and artisans under the leadership of the court architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. A total number of 20,000 artisans were employed at once to complete this wonderful monument.
The history of Taj Mahal is quite complicated when it comes to the mention of Shah Jahan. The epitome of love we see today was originally named after Mumtaz Mahal but then it was later shortened to Taj Mahal after her demise. The construction was started in the year 1631 and an essential completion was observed in 1643. One of the real facts about Taj Mahal is that the work never stopped since then. Almost for a decade, continuous work was done in phases with the world’s most complex carved decoration.
The interior decoration represents Indo-Islamic and Mughal Architecture. The gardens were inspired by Humayun’s Tomb and the architectural plan was inspired by Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb. It was the first building in the history of Mughal architecture to comprise white marble breaking the stereotype of red sandstone. Along with being the symbol of love, the Taj Mahal also symbolized Shah Jahan’s prosperity. The overall structure of the Taj Mahal symbolizes a lot of things about Shah Jahan’s reign like the bilateral central dome as the symbol of peace and harmony while the north-south direction cardinal makes it a perfect symbol of the horizon.
Why Was Taj Mahal Built?
His unending love for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, served as the sole motivation for the construction of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was planned to start building in 1631. Later the same year, Mumtaz Mahal passed away delaying the construction until the year 1632.
The main arena was completed in 1648. It took the next five years for the Taj Mahal to come into its original divinity and beauty, unleashing the real facts about Taj Mahal. It was Shah Jahan’s extreme grief for Mumtaz Mahal that fuelled the ultimate inspiration of the Taj Mahal.
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Love Story Of Mumtaz Mahal And Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan, the great Mughal empire was just 16-year-old when he first met Mumtaz Mahal. It was indeed love at first sight. Shah Jahan was popularly known as Prince Khurram who was already compelled to marry Kandahari Begum because of that he couldn’t right away marry Mumtaz Mahal.
Finally, Shah Jahan got married to Mumtaz Mahal, giving her the new name Mumtaz and taking her as his second wife. The couple together had 14 children of which only 7 survived. During the birth of their 14th child, Mumtaz took her last breath. Shah Jahan made sure that their love lasts an eternity. The Taj Mahal is the eternal monument of the love story of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.
Mumtaz Mahal – Life History, Real Facts About Mumtaz Mahal
Mumtaz Mahal was born in a royal Persian family as Arjumand Banu Begum. She was the daughter of Abul Hasan Asaf Khan, a high office controller in the Mughal Empire. Her beauty and intelligence were admirable adding to the list of real facts about Mumtaz Mahal. Other facts include:
- She was married to her love, Shah Jahan at the age of 19. Mumtaz Mahal was very kind-hearted and helpful.
- One of the real facts about Mumtaz Mahal is that she kept records of widows and their children ensuring them proper amnesties. She was indeed a good soul.
- She was famously known as Taj Bibi; the 19th century observed a lot of her portraits. It won’t be wrong to mention that she was Shah Jahan’s apple of the eye.
- She also had a thing for history, making the historians go to lengths to record the love story of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The couple enjoyed 19 years of loving and sensual marriage.
- She took her last breath on the birth bed of her 14th child on the 17th of June, 1631.
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Interesting And Real Facts About Taj Mahal
- It took 22 years for the complete construction of the Taj Mahal (1632-53).
- The hands of architects and craftsmen were chopped off so that they could not build such a marvel again.
- Around 1000 elephants were used in transportation and 28 types of precious stones were used to decorate the interior of the Taj Mahal.
- Taj Mahal’s design is inspired by Mumtaz Mahal’s fort in her memory. Shah Jahan called Taj Mahal heaven for his wife.
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